Tucker Arensberg is the largest law firm in Western Pennsylvania with a concentrated practice in education law. We combine the depth of experience in public school district representation with a broad array of legal specialties, providing our school district clients with a unique combination of quality, service, and value.

We attend open meetings and executive sessions held by the district and we counsel and assist with the varied issues that arise from operating a school district.  These issues include:

• Reviewing, interpreting, negotiating, and drafting contracts
• Reviewing, interpreting, and drafting policies and administrative regulations
• Interpreting the statutory, regulatory, and precedential authority for the purpose of providing daily operational advice
• Parliamentary rules of order (typically, Robert’s Rules of Order)
• Sunshine Law compliance
• Public Records Act compliance
• Intergovernmental Cooperation Act compliance
• Local Government Unit Debt Act compliance
• The Public School Code of 1949 (governance provisions of school code) and related regulations
• Right-to-Know Law requests
• State Ethics Act issues and compliance
• Procurement matters, including bidding requirements
• Intellectual property rights
• First Amendment rights of students, employees, and others
• Fourth Amendment issues involving searches of students and staff
• Title IX compliance
• School district residency, enrollment, truancy, and attendance
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act compliance
• Student disciplinary investigations, suspensions, and expulsions
• Student transportation issues
• Social media
• Labor and employment matters – our team advises on legal issues affecting or involving school district personnel, including collective bargaining, arbitration, and unfair labor practices
• Special needs students – our firm is experienced in all facets of school law involving students with disabilities
• Litigation – our school attorneys have wide-ranging experience in the representation of school districts in state and federal court litigation, administrative proceedings, and alternative dispute proceedings, such as mediation and binding arbitration 
• Construction, including bidding, negotiation of contracts, claims and arbitration, and PLANCON
• Property tax and finance matters – we regularly represent and counsel school clients on tax and finance issues, including extensive experience in assessment appeals and tax collections.

Although we have experience in representing a diverse group of public-school districts, we recognize that all school districts are unique and have distinctive challenges.  It is our goal to understand your particular programs, needs, and expectations.  Our objective is to provide thorough and useful advice allowing the Board of School Directors and administrators to make informed decisions.

Our attorneys are involved in the following professional associations/organizations:

• Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s Solicitors Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association Education Law Section
• National School Boards Association’s Council of School Attorneys
• National Association of College and University Attorneys
• Allegheny County Bar Association Municipal and School Solicitors Section

In cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh Tri-State Area School Study Council, the firm publishes the Education Law Report, a periodical summarizing recent legal developments affecting school districts and their administration. Members of the firm are regularly invited to present to school officials, employees, and attorneys on topics of school law. Click here to view the latest version of the Education Law Report.